WRITER’S SHACK POETRY BY SUSAN BERLIN

The strong, thought-provoking poetry of Susan Berlin gives us realities and hard truths along with beauty, gratitude, and resilience. In “Fat Crow Above Me,” she presents imagery stark and clear—”blue-black beak,” ”two black feet,” ”full-bellied crow”—and brings us into an experience. This poem shows both the simple and complex and presents dark edges while revealing hope.

In “Apples on South Road,” the care of preparing the apples is duplicated in the poem’s sensitive construction and a final revelation: “the apples….cut and cored and brought, I thought, for him.” Rich in attention and insight, these poems give us something new and personal that also feels deeply shared.

—Diane Giardi, Director of Learning, Cultural Center of Cape Cod